Expression
by nightvalesecretpopo
Summary: Ivan needed a big break, a chance to make a change. He thought he had found it in Matthew, but would never have expected what else meeting him that night would bring him. (rating may go up, has side pairings, human AU)
1. I: Concept

The mixing ball rattled about listlessly inside the can before more paint wheezed from its nozzle. He stepped back and smiled as his eyes roamed along his canvas.

He was suddenly roused from his daze when he felt an eager tugging at his coattails.

"What are you working on, sir?" the young boy enquired in his tinny, pre-pubescent voice. His attention seemed to be too slippery to be held for more than a moment as he looked from the wall to the man towering above him to a can of soup rattling along the alley floor in the gentle breeze.

The artist smiled broadly and knelt down to be at eye-level with his little fan. He responded to most people with unfriendliness to the point of hostility, but he'd taken a shining to the boy. He mussed his curly hair with a gloved hand and said, "Now, _milenki_, I told you to just call me Ivan!" He sighed lightly. "I'm not quite good enough to be a 'sir', I don't think."

"Yes, you are!" the other exclaimed, sounding almost scandalized. "You're the nicest, coolest person ever and you're, like, the bestest artist, too, and-"

"I get it, I get it, I'm great," he interjected in a joking tone. "Don't have much to show for it, though," he muttered under his breath.

"Someday, your stuff is gonna be super famous, just like daChichi's, I know it!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"da_Vinci_," Ivan corrected, chuckling. "And yeah, maybe someday. Gotta dream, right?"

The boy giggled before querying, "So, do you wanna play with me? Sash gave me this really cool board game she didn't want anymore. It's super fun!"

"Ah, sorry, but I really want to work on this right now," he replied, gesturing toward the wall with a jerk of his head. "Go have fun with your friends, _da_?" He patted him on the shoulder endearingly.

The boy nodded excitedly before running off into the labyrinth-like system of alleys. The Russian grinned and waved the other goodbye before rising to continue with his work. He had just finished shaking the can of yellow paint when he felt a presence behind him, which spoke but moments later.

"Hello," the person said in an airy, faint voice.

He huffed and spun around, having lost all his patience by that point after all the interruptions he'd had. "_Shto?_"he barked.

Daylight was beginning to burn out, but the faint glimmer of the streetlamps permitted him to see the man before him. With timid posture and bright, violet eyes, his flaxen hair reflected the reluctant glow of the nearby artificial light, giving his delicate visage an angelic glow. A red-and-white plaid shirt, faded jeans, and a white coat hung off his thin frame and a warm smile graced his almost feminine features. He extended his arm in greeting, seeming to disregard the Russian's earlier rudeness, and said, "I'm Matthew. Matthew Williams. You're Ivan Braginsky, I take it?"

He reciprocated the gesture dejectedly. "That's me," he replied. "Do you need anything? I'm kinda busy." He paused for a second. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"You're quite famous around here, sir," he explained encouragingly.

"Look, don't call me -" He tutted. "Whatever. Again, what do you want?"

Matthew began to wave his hands nervously. "Oh, it's not urgent; take your time. I'll wait." The man then squatted, shooed a few papers on the ground below him away, and sat down with his back against the brick wall.

Ivan continued to stare at him for a few moments, somewhat perplexed by his hesitant behaviour, but eventually took the opportunity to continue working.

Once his last can had emptied and its quiet hissing ceased, he heard a quiet _skritch_ing, like a rat trying to claw its way through wood. He tossed the empty object into a nearby bin and lumbered over to the other man, who had pulled out a sketchbook and was presumably drawing in it. His pencil stopped its dance and the blonde looked up. "Did you finish what you were doing? Like I said, take your time."

"I ran out of paint," he said. Matthew nodded and patted the asphalt next to him; the Russian followed instructions and looked at the opened page in his book to satisfy his curiosity. His silver eyebrows instantly rose as he took in their contents.

It appeared to have been a study of the human hand. The appendages were in a number of poses- some were clenched into fists, some signing various letters, others seeming to try to claw at the viewer- and were of sundry ages, skin tones, and sizes, and were all meticulously shaded. There was also writing in what appeared to be German on what Ivan could make out of the inside front cover which read "_Sie sind erstaunlich, Matthäus!_", and another sentence in different handwriting which read, _"Toi, aussi_!" There was a small heart made from red paint near the text. He wondered what that was about.

Ivan's little moment of rumination was cut short when the other man intoned, "Well, I suppose I should let you know why I'm here." He closed the book gently, and that was when the Russian noted a plain silver band around his right ring finger which glinted in the moonlight. _Good for him_, he thought almost sardonically.

Matthew turned his head to face him. "I own a local art gallery- it's the only one around here, perhaps you've seen it?" He paused for a brief moment, something of a twinkle in his eye, and continued, "We generally do exposés for individual artists' work around this time of year, and... well, I was wondering if you would be interested in being showcased."

Ivan thought about it briefly before asking, "What is the pay like?"

The blonde giggled nervously. "Well, it's community-run and funded, so you don't get any money directly. However, you will get recognition from people around here and you could -"

"Not interested," he interjected flatly, looking to the street, fixated by the passing of cars and noting in his head which ones were not obeying the speed limit.

"That boy earlier said that you would eventually become very famous for your work," he pressed on, tone becoming sterner. "I understand that you won't get any pay for it, but think of all the work you could get after people learn about you!"

"I was just entertaining him," he explained. "There's no way someone like me, some homeless Russian graffiti artist, is ever going anywhere; the only reason I said that was so that he didn't feel any worse about himself, what with him being just as bad off as me. He wants to be an astronaut, the poor kid. He can't even read.

"Besides, recognition in a town like this means a bunch of old bags asking you to paint tulips for them. I just want to do my own stuff. If I get paid, that would be best, but I don't want to change what I do just for that."

"That doesn't necessarily have to be the case," Matthew replied, voice lighter and smile returning timidly. "You could just sell what you have."

"Yes, but..." he sighed. "I'm very attached to everything I do, you know? I wouldn't want something that has deep meaning for me to be hung up in someone's living room just because it matches the furniture."

The blonde nodded solemnly. "I understand. Well, if you ever change your mind, just swing by the gallery and let me know." He rose and began to walk away, but his body tensed and he let forth a small gasp. "Hide," he whispered, not turning around.

"What is it?" he asked, becoming concerned. "Cops?"

"Yes. I recognize his figure; it's Beilschmidt. Take your things and go. Hurry."

Ivan quickly followed orders, beginning to quiver for reasons irrelevant to the cold weather. He kicked the empty cans under a bin and stood next to the blonde, looking at his own work to not make eye contact.

"Hey, Ludwig!" Matthew exclaimed.

"Oh, Matthäus, it's you!" he replied, accent still quite thick despite his many years of having resided in Canada.

Since they seemed to be on familiar terms, Ivan made the sound decision to keep his mouth shut and let him handle it.

The blonde giggled. "I see that neither of you can get my name right." The German laughed in reply.

"Say," he said after a moment of silence, "do you know who did this, by any chance?"

"I've no idea, really," Matthew replied in an innocent voice. "We were just looking at it. I know it's illegal, but it sure is pretty, eh?"

"Hm," the officer replied. He sounded almost disappointed about it. "Tell me if you see anything, _ja_?"

"Of course." They both paused and Matthew continued, "You're still coming over tonight?"

"Right after my shift is done. I just hope the child will be on his best behaviour."

Matthew chuckled heartily. "Don't worry, I'll have him on a leash. Besides, he's more mature now; puberty does that to you, I guess." They both laughed at that for a while, occasionally making more chides at someone who he could only assume was the same man.

Ivan felt bad for whoever was the butt of all of those jokes.

After a few more minutes of their stand-up, Ludwig turned to face the Russian. "You look familiar; you live around here, right?"

Ivan immediately straightened his posture and proudly gazed into the German's icy eyes. "Yes, sir."

"You don't have to look so scared, boy," he said, tone still fairly stern despite the reassuring remark. "Do you know anyone in this area who might be responsible for this?"

The man bit his lip and looked skyward while humming, pretending to think. "No, sorry."

"It's alright," he replied. He looked to Matthew again and smiled. "Well, I should be off. I'll see you later." He turned away with a wave, gait incredibly robotic.

"_Abschied_!" Matthew exclaimed in what Ivan could only assume was very good German pronunciation.

Ivan waited until he was out of earshot before saying, "Why did you do that? If they find out that it's really me, you'll be in trouble, too."

He shrugged. "It's not a problem. We're good friends, so I think he'll let me off pretty easy if I give him a good explanation."

He thought it might be a bit of an invasion of privacy to ask how he knew him, so he didn't say anything. "How can I repay you?" the Russian enquired.

"You don't have to. Really, it's not a problem at all."

"Are you sure?" Ivan ruminated for a moment. "What if I do that gallery thing? Would that be good?"

"Ivan, it's meant to be for _your _benefit, not mine. You said before that you didn't like the idea of it, and that's okay! I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do." He smiled and patted him on the shoulder, and gasped a few moments later, raising a finger in realization. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He rummaged through his huge tote bag and pulled out some plastic containers and cans of spray paint, quickly handing them to the other man. Ivan judged from the lingering warmth of the unlabelled boxes that they contained food.

"It's not a bribe," Matthew joked. He saw the hesitance in the other's face. "C'mon, just take it. I won't take no for an answer."

Ivan nodded in defeat and set everything down on the ground next to him. "Really, this is too much, I-"

"Don't worry about it. I figured you might need it, so I brought it along with me." The Russian's stomach growled and Matthew laughed at the perfect timing of it. Ivan did, too.

"I should get going: I need to start preparing dinner. Well, it was nice meeting you. If you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

"I definitely will."

They exchanged goodbyes and other such pleasantries and Matthew left, taking an umbrella out of his seemingly-bottomless bag after hearing the grumbling of the clouds.

Ivan sat down and ate. The contents within the packages was revealed to be Chinese food: it was rubbery from having been cooked so long ago and was already fairly cold, but still filling and edible. He wolfed it down and sighed contentedly. It'd been a long time since he last ate so much. He left some of the containers for later.

Sleepy from his meal, he grabbed his things and limbered over to his spot where he slept with some other homeless people in the area. He smiled when he saw Sasha and his young friend, Connie, playing together. A trash can was alight and cracking soothingly to illuminate the dark and ward off the cold. They looked up and waved, grinning and showing off their missing teeth. He sat down and put a blanket over his body and a pillow beneath his head. They both immediately loomed over him like vultures over a carcass.

"Who were you talking to?" Sasha asked.

"His name's Mazh- er, Maff-" He continued to stutter like that for a little while, unable to pronounce the letters correctly, and eventually came up with a suitable alternative for it. "Matvye Williams."

"Whoa, doesn't he run the gallery?" Connie asked. He nodded languidly. "What did he say? Is he gonna use your stuff?"

"I told him I'd consider it," Ivan recounted.

They both gasped and exclaimed in unison, "What?!" The girl said, "That was your chance to make it big! You totally should have said yes." She pointed to nowhere in particular. "Go and apologize to Mister Williams right this second!"

Ivan chuckled. "It's fine. I'll negotiate with him later, probably. I just have a few... scruples about it." He doubted either of them knew what the word meant, but didn't give them time to ask; he was far too tired. Instead, he handed them the other boxes of food, much to their delight. Seeing them go at it like rabid wolves, he exclaimed, "Remember to share with other people!" They said something in reply that was left unintelligible by the foodstuff in their mouths.

The Russian turned onto his side and curled up slightly under the thin sheet, trying to get the most out of his own internal body heat. He could see his own breath, which came out uneasily due to his shivering form.

He stayed awake for a while, mulling over what he should do. Sure, it was an excellent way to garner recognition, but was it really worth potentially being arrested if local police recognized his graffiti? Plus, he wasn't getting anything out of it directly: a few "ooh's" and "aah's" wouldn't be able to get him out off his hellhole of a situation. He was certain that the blonde wasn't stupid enough to not have considered all of that, but he was still uneasy about it.

After all of that thinking, the cover and gravel beneath him had grown warmer. He nuzzled his head into the raggedy pillow and heard light footsteps beside him. Knowing who it was, he lowered the blanket and extended his arm, allowing them entrance. He turned to face the two children and propped himself up on his shoulder to kiss them both lovingly on their foreheads. Ivan looked down at their young, pure, sleeping faces and decided.

_I have to do it. If not for anyone else, especially myself, I have to do it for them._

* * *

**_Translation Notes_**

_Russian_

Da - да - yes, okay

Milenki - Миленький - dear

Shto - Что - what

_German_

Sie sind erstaunlich, Matthäus! - You're amazing, Matthew!

Matthäus - Matthew

Abschied! - Farewell!

_French_

Toi, aussi! - You, too!

* * *

This was based on a request by canehdur (Tumblr), which was "RusCan street-artist AU". I'd been wanting to get to it for a while now! I hope I'll be able to update this regularly, but what with school and all, I can't make any promises.

If anyone would be willing to translate Russian and German for me, that'd be wonderful. Please let me know!

Also, I know that Canada is most commonly referred to as "Matvey" in most Russia/Canada fics, but that isn't really the correct pronunciation of the Cyrillic characters.

Thanks for reading!


	2. II: Sketch

The shrill barks of an alarm clock cut short a peaceful dream, and Matthew could do nought but groan in reply.

After slapping his hand around his nightstand blindly for a few sad-to-witness seconds, he shut the machine off, making a _crack_ louder than its earlier cries as he stretched and sighed contentedly. He then noted that his fiance was not at his side and patted the other's pillow before leaving the bed.

The blond rubbed the lingering sleep from his eyes cutely with a noiseless yawn as he made his way down the flight of stairs to the kitchen. He shivered as he placed his nude forearms on the chilly granite counter after putting the kettle on for his morning tea, threatening to slump down onto the frozen surface and fall asleep again before righting himself and smacking his cheeks. While he waited for the whistle's cue, he tidied up a bit, returning some sundry spices to their racks and putting a few boxes of cookies back on their shelves (his partner had scolded him a few times for having so many sweets, but the Canadian would just shrug in answer, saying that "his metabolism would make up for it anyway", which would earn him a displeased shake of the head and a "But it won't stop diabetes!"; Matthew always enjoyed those little lovers' quarrels, and remembered that one with fondness, sneaking a Jammy Dodger from its box before putting it away as if out of spite). He returned to his stool at the island with a napkin laden with a plastic container chock-full of maple tarts from the fridge as the kettle had just begun to hiss in anticipation.

Suddenly, he felt two broad hands pat his shoulders and a tingling sensation crawl down his spine as a man whispered into the shell of his ear, "That much sugar that early in the morning? Really?"

Matthew almost choked from the gasp he sounded in surprise, muttering a flurry of _sacres_ under his breath and turning on the spot to face the man behind him, visage ruddy from his violent fit.

The eyes staring at him with a twinkle of mischief were of a sharp crimson, though they were currently muted by his amusement. His stark-white hair was getting a bit long as his bangs were beginning to cover up his barely-there eyebrows, but it still framed his pale, handsome face quite well. A devious smirk graced his features, and his thin lips then changed shape to press featherlight kisses on Matthew's soft jawline.

The blond giggled quietly from being tickled from the minute touches, leaning his head into the other's cheek in a catlike fashion as the white-haired man moved to the crook of the Canadian's neck.

"Such a foul mouth, ah?" he murmured playfully in reference to his earlier cussing. "You could be putting it to much better use. Such a waste."

Matthew chuckled. "Easy, tiger," he said as his fiance nipped gently at his throat. He cupped his partner's cheek with one hand, running his thumb underneath his eye. After a minute or so, Matthew tapped his upper back as a signal for him to get off. The blond smiled lovingly and planted a gentle peck on his forehead, taking in the inviting smell of his musk before asking, "Late night at work, Gil?"

"Yeah," he said, tiredness more prominent in his voice. "D'you mind if I take a nap? I'm exhausted."

"Of course not!" Matthew replied. "Tea?" The kettle began to whistle as if encouraging him, but Gilbert shook his head.

"_Nein, ich bin in Ordnung_," he sighed. He nuzzled the blond's nose with his own before going upstairs rather languidly, like he was being weighed down by some invisible force. The blond rose and turned the stove-top off. Before he could pour the water for his drink, he heard the man enquire from the landing, "Oh, how'd it go with that kid?"

"He didn't say yes or no," he recounted, stirring the sugar and milk into his tea, "but he was gonna think about it."

"_Prima!_" he said groggily before going to the master bedroom, presumably flopping down onto the mattress with enough strength to make a huge _thump_. Matthew noted how he spoke more German when he was tired and smirked to himself while taking a sip of his drink.

When he had finished his breakfast and loaded the dishwasher, the Canadian went to his bedroom to get changed for work. He had just started putting on his pants when he felt something touch his behind. He rolled his eyes before turning and, lo and behold, Gilbert had roused from his slumber, a simper plastered on his face that shimmered in the faint light from the window. He swatted the hand away with neither anger nor force, mirroring the other's expression. "Not now, _connard_."

"Hey!" he replied, scandalized. "You don't need to be rude to me for being myself."

"Well, 'yourself' is quite a horny little bugger. You don't need to have learned French just because you're with me," he said flatly.

He chuckled and got up to put his arms around his lover's waist. "I did it so I would know what you were saying to me in bed."

Matthew giggled. "Get off, I'm gonna fall down!" It ended up being more of a precaution than an instruction, as they did just that moments later. They quickly erupted into raucous laughter. When it finally ceased and they entered an air pleasantly silent, Matthew looked up, crown pressed to the German's muscled chest, and Gilbert's gaze turned down in answer. The couple's lips touched softly and they muttered words of love in each other's native tongues. The white-haired man returned his strong arms to his sides, giving him an opportunity to rise, which he quickly yet reluctantly seized after putting his pants on properly so as to not tumble over again.

"Get some rest, alright? Use your day off to get caught up with some sleep." Matthew leaned in to rest his rosy lips on the other's cheek and murmured, "Cos you won't be getting any tonight." He pecked the corner of his lips and left the room, winking over his shoulder as he did and taking a mental photograph of his lover's expression to save it for later.

* * *

The badgering cries of a young child cut short a pleasant dream, and Matthew could do nought but groan in reply.

Though he did love his job, he certainly found it boring when there was no interesting exposés going on or artists in town to do signings and tours. The clientele was extremely cookie-cutter: a few single mothers with tired eyes hoping for some tranquillity in the vibrant colours before them that did nought but be the template for their children's doodles on the living room walls; tourists who were more interested in the perfect shot than the content of that which they shouldn't have been taking photos of in the first place; unruly youngsters pouting until they could return to their glowing screens, finding ignorance 'cooler' than a greater understanding of the world in which they resided. None of them seemed to share his passion for the arts, which was one of the main reasons he chose to manage the gallery in the first place.

Despite this, he put on a happy face as he greeted a group which seemed to meet the third category (one of them could not meet his eyes for more than a few moments as Matthew gave him his ticket, though the Canadian said nothing).

Just as he had finished wiping his glasses of nonexistent grime to occupy his hands, he saw someone who truly stood out from the rest of the crowd.

He did occasionally see a self-proclaimed 'hipster' every now and again, and they did have a tendency to dress eclectically and have a bit of scruff on their necks with unkempt hair to match- 'devil-may-care', he supposed would be the term. He obviously had no issue with them whatsoever: they were respectful; asked thoughtful, relevant questions while possessing a cultured knowledge of the arts; and even offered their help every once in a while. However, he did recognize this one in particular, as he strode up towards the desk while his trench-coat did the janitor's job.

"Ivan?" he asked, though it wasn't so much a question as an expression of surprise.

"Hey," he whispered, smiling sheepishly. It was then that Matthew noticed that he was a bit twitchy. His snowy face turned a bit pink as he fidgeted before asking, "Can I use your bathroom?"

The blond smirked. "Do you have any other business here or did you come just for that?" he enquired, unable to stop himself from using a pun.

"N-no, I wanted to talk to you, too," he replied. He whined childishly. "_Please_?"

"Of course," he reassured. He texted one of his coworkers to ask her to work at the front for a little while. When she replied saying that she would do it and arrived shortly after, the two quickly made their way to the men's washroom.

Matthew leaned against the wall next to the door awkwardly, greeting a few passers-by who recognized him until Ivan jogged out while muttering a hurried '_spasiba_' under his breath. The Canadian fought a smile and eventually lost the battle. "What?" he asked, not appreciating that he wasn't in on the joke.

His friend pointed at his groin a few times (not enthusiastically to not attract unwanted attention) and the Russian just cocked his head in answer. Matthew rolled his eyes, still laughing, and stage-whispered, "Your fly's down. God, you look creepy enough with that flasher's coat on."

Ivan's visage turned a bright shade of crimson and he quickly remedied the issue while stammering incoherently. "Stop laughing!" he said when he was done, having closed his thighs somewhat unconsciously. "And I'll have you know that this is _certainly_ not a 'flasher's coat.'"

"Yeah, whatever you say, Catherine Tramell," he chided, still smirking. Matthew paused for a moment before asking, "So, why did you decide to visit? Have you changed your mind?"

"I'm still not really sure," he replied, looking at his beat-up shoes as if embarrassed.

The Canadian patted him on the back reassuringly. "It's alright. I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want to do." He smiled amicably. "Do you want to look around while you're here?"

"A-ah, don't I have to pay?"

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he said, waving his hands dismissively. Matthew guided him to a nearby room that was displaying random pieces which had been generously donated by their respective artists. The Russian's eyes darted quickly from place to place, taking it all in.

"It's nice," he muttered indifferently. He furrowed his barely-there eyebrows while looking at some of the works. Admittedly, Matthew had no clue what the hell half of them were supposed to be, but he put them up to be polite; that, and maybe someone would eventually figure them out. Ivan wasn't that person.

The Canadian hadn't realized that he'd said most of that out loud. "Yeah," the Russian said. "I mean, I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, and their creators put a lot of thought into them, but..." He strode over to a metallic sculpture of a shape resembling that of wings, but just barely. The piece had no title, so it was just assigned a string of numbers_. _"Like this one. What the hell _is_ that?"

Matthew giggled. "I'm not sure. But at least it gets you thinking, you know?"

"Good point." He crossed his arms behind his back and began to do a silly walk, humming with a scowl on his face like a stern professor assessing his students, and the Canadian doubled over with laughter. After a minute or so of the act, Matthew said, "I can tell that you're not too happy with it. Why don't you use your stuff and spice it up?" He wiggled his eyebrows with a grin.

Ivan smiled, chuckling. "Maybe," he teased.

"Oh, come _on_!" the blond protested. "I swear doing this will help you. People will love your stuff, and they'll love you! I-" He cut himself short. The Russian wasn't listening, appearing to have frozen in place while looking at something Matthew couldn't see behind the other's head. Just as the Canadian had made his way to where he was standing, he had covered his open mouth with a gloved hand, eyes wide. "What is it?" the blond enquired, starting to become concerned, but he said nothing. Eventually his hand lowered and pointed at the painting before him, words trying to cloy their way from his throat but coming out in feeble, unintelligible sounds. Matthew followed his finger to see what all the fuss was about.

It was a portrait of a woman with dirty-blonde hair. She had a pleasant smile on her face, and her eyes were closed, creasing the skin near them in an almost elegant way. She donned a colourful dress that looked like traditional garb, but he wasn't sure from where.

"Kat?" he asked, saying her name in case he recognized her from somewhere else.

Ivan turned to him, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "You know her? How?"

"She's a good friend of mine," he stated. "Do _you _know her?"

"She's my-" he choked up, stopping his flow of speech. "My sister."

His eyebrows rose. "What?"

He turned his head to face him directly, eyes puffy, but didn't answer his question. "Where is she?" His voice was quivering. He wanted to ask him if he was alright, but he gasped instead as his shoulders were seized and a crazed look befell the man's face.

"_Where is she_?!" He enquired again, shaking the other's shoulders. "Please, _please_, I'll do _anything_, just _tell_ me!" Matthew fretted for a moment before putting a hand over the Russian's lips.

"Don't yell; security will come," he said. He was lucky that the room they were in was empty. "She said she was going to Ukraine. I'm not sure if that meant that she's moving or not, but I haven't seen her in a few weeks." Ivan calmed considerably, but still looked distressed. He looked down at the tip of Matthew's finger and contorted his expression to that of a grimace. The Russian backed away from the blond, covered his face with his hands. The Canadian let his idle arm fall back to his side.

"_Dammit_," he hissed. Ivan strode to a section of wall with nothing on it and sat down, leaning his back against the black surface. Matthew hesitated before following him, and when he did, he continued. "I find out my sister's in Canada and _this close _to where I am, and the next moment, it turns out she's run off to Ukraine!" He sighed frustratedly, putting his forehead on his knees which he had tucked up to his chest.

Matthew contemplated putting his hand on Ivan's shoulder to console him, but wasn't sure if he would be comfortable with the contact. Instead, he suggested, "I could try e-mailing her again. I'll mention that I found her brother. She'd been worried about you."

His eyebrows shot up, a shimmer of hope returning to his eyes. "She was?"

Seeing that that cheered him up, he smiled sweetly. "Yeah. She said she came back to Canada the moment she found a good, steady job here. Russia wasn't treating her well, apparently."

He frowned. "I see..." His voice trailed off and he went back to staring at the floor. Matthew was about to ask if he was getting up when he unexpectedly leaned over and rested his cheek on Matthew's shoulder. The Canadian said nothing and put his hand on his upper arm opposite to him to keep him from falling over. "Thanks," he muttered after a few seconds, slightly muffled by Matthew's shirt covering most of his mouth.

"For what?" he asked.

"Being nice to me," he said. "Most people don't like talking to the homeless: they think we're crazy or something. So, thanks for considering me for this."

"I don't think anything bad about you because of your situation," he explained. "If anything, I feel bad about it. Besides, I only pick people based on their talent." He looked to the sculpture, which Ivan noticed. "Well, most of the time." They laughed for a little while at that, which made the blond happy; he seemed to feel a bit better.

"I'll do it," Ivan intoned. Matthew inclined his head to face him. "It's the only way I can repay you for helping me find my sister."

"Are you sure you want to do it?" he asked. "If it's just for that, there's no need; I'm happy to help; you don't need to do anything for me."

"No, it's not just that." He paused. "I want to work with you." The skin by his eyes creased as he smiled- in that sense, he did resemble his sister. Matthew smiled back.

"And I you." His gaze returned to the painting. "I'd been meaning to ask: What happened that separated you two? From the way she would act about it, it seemed like it wasn't just you two leaving the nest and parting ways."

He took a breath before answering. "Well, not long after my youngest sister was born, my parents moved to Canada for the 'better life' everyone always talked about. We stayed here for many years, and we were happy! But the problem is, even with their new jobs, we were still poor. My dad ended up receiving a work opportunity in Moscow, but they only had enough money saved up for plane tickets for four people." He sighed. "My youngest sister, Natalia, was too young to be left here on her own, and Katyusha was pregnant. So I volunteered to stay."

"Was her partner named Eduard?" he enquired.

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

"He's the one who gave me the painting. They still write, so I suppose she's fine. I could ask him to mention it in his next letter to her instead; she always preferred that over e-mail."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she's alright." He lifted his head and eventually himself, and Matthew followed suit.

"Well, I should get home now," the blond said, scratching his forearm sheepishly. Just before he could say his farewells, Ivan extended a hand to him, smiling.

"Alright. I look forward to working with you," he chirped. Matthew reciprocated the gesture.

"When would you be available for prep?" he asked.

He shrugged. "Any time is fine." He looked like he was gonna burst, and he breathed out quickly, shaking his head just slightly. "Sorry, I'm just so excited."

Matthew giggled at his behaviour. "I'm glad you're happy about it!" There was a pleasant silence before the Canadian asked, "Do you want me to drive you back? It's cold out."

"Ah, sure!"

They walked into the driveway, shoving their hands into their respective coat pockets and inclining their faces into their scarves. When they got in the car, Matthew immediately turned on the heating. The voyage was silent except for the quiet din of the radio, but it was not unpleasant.

Ivan bowed his head in thanks as he exited the vehicle (the blond found his confusion about the door being locked cute, but quickly remedied the issue). Out of politeness, Matthew got out and patted him amicably on the shoulder. "Take care. See you."

"You, too."

Matthew pulled into his driveway about ten minutes later, and was surprised to find that the lights in the house were all turned off. _Is he home_? Matthew wondered. He understood that the man worked long hours, but it certainly cut short their time together. He was hoping that he'd come home before he went to bed, at least.

When he went into the living room and turned on the lights in the mudroom, he saw a note on the table. He picked it up and adjusted his glasses. The handwriting was Gilbert's.

_ Sorry, dear! Late night again. I hope I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon. _

_ Love you,_

_ Gil_

Matthew tutted, frustrated, and put the paper back where it was before. He shrugged his jacket off and hung it off the top of the closet door to dry. Without warning, he felt strong arms wrap around his waist. He had just begun to struggle when the assailant grabbed the note and flipped it over.

_Just kidding_.

The unknown person sneezed cutely off to the side, which was one of Gilbert's odd habits. He looked behind him and saw a white head of hair. He smirked as his partner's head turned around.

"Hey," Matthew said.

Gil kissed him on the lips. "Hey."

The blond giggled seductively and lifted the man bridal-style in a great feat of strength. "Let's go to bed, _ah_?" he murmured into his ear.

The German nodded, looking almost scared as he was tossed onto the sheets.

It had been a good day.

* * *

**_Translation Notes:_**

_German: _

Nein, ich bin in Ordnung. - No, it's alright.

Prima! - Wonderful!

_French:_

connard - jerk, asshole (used lightly here)

_Russian:_

spasiba - спасибо - thanks

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Sorry for the long wait, but it should be expected with school and all. Exam season's right around the corner, too (but I have fairly easy courses this semester). Hopefully I'll be able to update more quickly later.

So, yup, it's no surprise that Matthew's with Gil. I figured it was pretty obvious given the German in the notebook last chapter. There won't be many more fluff scenes for that pairing, so don't worry! (there's a reason that I'm doing it, by the way)

Catherine Tramell is a character in the film _Basic Instinct_ played by Sharon Stone. The movie's famous for a part where she crosses her legs and you can see up her skirt. I couldn't think of any other famous flashers: sorry!

Also, for those who don't know, Eduard is Estonia's human name. Estonia was originally going to be used elsewhere, but I figure it doesn't matter (I couldn't think of any other ships for Ukraine without characters who will be involved later).

Sacres are Quebecois French curses which mainly involve the use of words with Christian themes.

Again, thanks so much for your patience and have a happy new year!


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